Uhhhhh ... Ok

[Arioch]

The folks at FilmForce's The Stax Report have dug up a copy of the script for the Doom movie from March and have written a short review of it. The movie, as expected, is mostly based on the game Doom 3. Highlight that blank spot for a spoiler: The most memorable character by far was Pinky, a disfigured, creepy, wheelchair-bound worker at the UAC facility whose path has crossed with John's before.

The review can be found here.

[Naked Snake]

Hmm, goodie, we have to sit through a fuckload of annoying dialouge.

[Xenaero]

Oh god. Couple this with The Rock playing as doomguy and all is lost.

[AirRaid]

Bleh. I'll still watch it, to see how the demons turn out.

[sLydE]

well, at least they wouldn't have to invest much into the special effects. they could just use the doom3 engine for the demons :p

[Ralphis]

What the fuck

Pinky in a wheelchair

[stingrza]

I was trying to write an actual good movie rather than a RESIDENT EVIL. I know a lot of it sounds insane but I'm a huge fan of the game as well and I don't want any more than you guys do for it to suck.

That said.

It's come to my attention recently that the studio is considering making the movie PG-13. This is an AWFUL idea. The game mandates an R-Rated movie, that's just how I feel, if it's going to have any justice to it at all.

What I need is for you guys to post what you think of DOOM as a PG-13...my guess is most fans wouldn't even waste their time seeing such a copout. Hopefully then I can print out your posts and show it to the producers as the proof that a PG-13 will alienate the key fans, and basically just ruin the whole thing. Up to you guys. I knwo you're not really down with the movie at all, or some of the things you know I've done with it, but I hope you'll at least agree with me on this. No PG-13 for DOOM!!!!!!

[Linguica]

Hey how about you send me the script then I can give me you honest opinions :P

As for PG-13... everyone knows they usually make more money, so if that's what the studio wants then it's hard to argue. I would say that it's probably better to write a script with expectation of PG-13 than to write a R script and have to take out all the gory scenes to get it down to PG-13 level. That means that instead of lots of gore and blood and slop flying around it becomes primarily psychological. Hell, The Ring was PG-13 and that scared the piss out of people.

However, it sounds like the script as written is pretty hard-edged in terms of gore and violence, so in that case yes R is the only way to go. AvP comes out today and all the early reviews are complaining that with the violence toned down the movie basically becomes an exercise in "what's the point of this again?" I would hate to see a Doom movie suffer the same fate.

[stingrza]

My thoughts exactly, Linguica.

And I'll make you a deal. IF the movie ends up an official PG-13, I will send you guys a copy of one of my earlier "Hard R" scripts. You can post it after the movie is out and compare. Could be interesting.

[Graf Zahl]

Linguica said:

Hey how about you send me the script then I can give me you honest opinions :P

As for PG-13... everyone knows they usually make more money, so if that's what the studio wants then it's hard to argue. I would say that it's probably better to write a script with expectation of PG-13 than to write a R script and have to take out all the gory scenes to get it down to PG-13 level. That means that instead of lots of gore and blood and slop flying around it becomes primarily psychological. Hell, The Ring was PG-13 and that scared the piss out of people.

1. A bad PG-13 movie will make less money than a good R-rated one.
2. It won't become psychological. It will become dumbed down that the biggest idiots can enjoy it most. Just look at the mess that is AvP!

If the studio really wants to do a PG-13 rated Doom movie the entire project is doomed from the start!

[Linguica]

stingrza said:

And I'll make you a deal. IF the movie ends up an official PG-13, I will send you guys a copy of one of my earlier "Hard R" scripts.

I will hold you to that :P

[Murdoch]

The game is Restricted 16 in New Zealand, MA 15 in the US. To have it PG13 would make no sense. Shock and gore are a big part of it. Without it, you're not making something based on Doom.

[Mr. NobodX]

JoelMurdoch said:

The game is Restricted 16 in New Zealand, MA 15 in the US. To have it PG13 would make no sense. Shock and gore are a big part of it. Without it, you're not making something based on Doom.

It is a bit funny, because yesterday i spent a whole 20 minute of my life reading posts of frustrated Alien/Predator fans about the PG-13 rating of AvP (All six movies (4 Alien and 2 Predator) were rated R, why not this one?)...

[stingrza]

OK well I just saw AVP, and it's the stupidest movie I have ever seen, due partially to the restrictions of the rating but many other factors as well.

Believe me, that's not what I want for DOOM and that's not what I set out to do. I want you all to understand from the get go that I am on your side fighting for this to be as good and true a movie as possible. That has always been my goal and as they move farther away from that I will fight with you for the vision of the game to remain intact...

[Rellik]

No offense intended to you personally stingrza, but the movie has only about a 20% chance of being good and probably a 1% chance of impressing the hardcore gaming crowd. Even if you write the worlds first absolutely perfect script the 100 people over top of you will gradually ruin it with their "vision". This is why I'm just going to write books, writers just have no power in hollywood and when those jackasses get a good script they butcher it.

That being said I'm extremely jealous. :-)

Staying true to Doom, giving gamers what they want AND making it all acceptable to the mucky-mucks is gonna be tough and I wish you the best of luck. I'd say just make a lot of the horror implied and not actually shown but that would never fly either. These days action and horror is so **********ly over the top that the exec's would probably say "how is the audience going to know the person got killed if a flaming spleen isn't flying straight at them?" Good luck man, good luck.

Some STRONG words of advice:

1. NO ROMANTIC PLOTLINE
2. No children, jesus christ they even put a little kid in the AvP movie.
3. NO PITHY ONE-LINERS. AT ALL. Even if they're good it'll just be one more "they copied Aliens" arguement.

Anyone else got some?

[Fletcher`]

Pixar should do the Doom movie.

It's gonna be shit so who cares?

[stingrza]

Rellick, I appreciate the comments. You obviously know the biz I make my life.

The sad truth is that the majority of things that you warned against have already happened. My original vision, which I assure you was pretty cool at the least, has been watered down to a point where I'd be shocked if it was salvagable. My intention was always, like the game, to present visceral horror mostly in tone and feel, not in blood and guts. That doesn't seem to have stuck. I avoided the romantic plotline like the plague (thus the brother/sister relationship, to quell the studio) and so far I think we've made it past that hurdle. We have no children, and I can't speak to the dialogue. Really I shouldn't be saying any of this at the risk of never working in this town again, but this project is important to me and so is artistic integrity: both mine and id's, so I will stand up for it when I can.

I guess while I'm posting all day I'll mention because I know it bothers everyone that the Rock, if hired, is not going to be playing Doom Guy. He's going to be playing Sarge. Make of that what you will.

[Mr. NobodX]

Rellik said:

Some STRONG words of advice:

1. NO ROMANTIC PLOTLINE
2. No children, jesus christ they even put a little kid in the AvP movie.
3. NO PITHY ONE-LINERS. AT ALL. Even if they're good it'll just be one more "they copied Aliens" arguement.

Anyone else got some?

If the one-liners are not cheesy, then MAYBE i could stand some. But if i EVER hear "Rip and tear!" in the movie, i murder someone >D

But no romance, and no childrens, definitely. And for others words of wisdom:

4. Psychological violence. We're dealing with HELL here, get some hallucinations/voices/whatever mind trick you want in there, especially in the second half of the movie. Just a little suggestion of mine, but i'm also pretty sure most of the community won't like a simple action movie...

[Ichor]

5. Pretend the Doom novels do not exist.

[stingrza]

That's funny, I had actually at one point included the phrase "rip and tear" as a joke that only Doom fans would get...naturally, no one else got it and it was cut.

[Mr. NobodX]

stingrza said:

That's funny, I had actually at one point included the phrase "rip and tear" as a joke that only Doom fans would get...naturally, no one else got it and it was cut.

Next time send them a copy of the comic, they'll understand both the "rip and tear" and the "I passed too much time in hell, i think i'm going IN-SA-NE" effect of the aforementioned "psychological violence" **

[Ralphis]

stingrza said:

What I need is for you guys to post what you think of DOOM as a PG-13...my guess is most fans wouldn't even waste their time seeing such a copout. Hopefully then I can print out your posts and show it to the producers as the proof that a PG-13 will alienate the key fans, and basically just ruin the whole thing. Up to you guys. I knwo you're not really down with the movie at all, or some of the things you know I've done with it, but I hope you'll at least agree with me on this. No PG-13 for DOOM!!!!!!

AvP was fine and that's PG-13.

[sargebaldy]

who the hell is john?

[myk]

The doomguy.

[Mr. NobodX]

myk said:

The doomguy.

Wait a minute, it wasn't supposed to be Fly- nah, it violate rule of thumb #5 :p

[sargebaldy]

myk said:

The doomguy.

ugh, i was afraid they were going to try and name him... i thought they couldn't make a mistake like that but i guess i was wrong.

[The Flange Peddler]

sargebaldy said:

ugh, i was afraid they were going to try and name him... i thought they couldn't make a mistake like that but i guess i was wrong.

Because having a film where the main character doesn't have a name makes even more sense?

[sLydE]

fight club's main character didn't really have a name. the director just calls him "jack"

[Job]

Wasn't Event Horizon rated R? Kind of funny that one of the first games to be known for it's violence will be adapted for a new generation of n00b gamers that arrived with Doom3. So now it's toned down in violence for grossing money. So it's not staying true to the original.

[Rellik]

Hey stingrza, I don't suppose you could tell us what kind of budget they have in mind?